California invested billions into a new grade for 4-year-olds — without a plan to evaluate it
California invested billions into a new grade for 4-year-olds — without a plan to evaluate it
- February 24, 2026
- Jade Jenkins, education and CPIP affiliate, LAist, Feb. 24, 2026
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“ It is a huge mistake to not evaluate the implementation of TK [transitional kindergarten] and whether or not the classrooms are providing developmentally appropriate practice,” said Jade Jenkins, associate professor of education at the University of California, Irvine. … Researchers said it’s especially important to know what these youngest students are doing because early experiences can affect their learning later on. “At the very least, we want to make sure it's not doing harm,” Jenkins said.
For the full story, please visit https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/california-legislature-newsom-transitional-kindergarten-budget-research.
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